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Deryck Whibley had a hard time socializing while sober

Deryk could barely make a phone call without drinking

Singer Deryck Whibley has admitted he found it difficult to function among people without having alcohol in his system. And while he still struggles on occasion, things have gotten easier after getting some help.

The star was hospitalized over alcohol-related problems in 2014, and although the star is now fully recovered, he admits booze served as his “crutch.”

He explained to People magazine: “Just being in social situations, being around people … every little thing that you used alcohol as a crutch to get through – for me, pretty much everything – all of a sudden is there, again, but you don’t have that crutch anymore. So it was really frightening.

I mean, I remember at one point, thinking, ‘I don’t even know how to get on the phone and talk to someone without having at least a drink or two already.’ And then that was the realization of how bad it had really gotten, ‘Man, I can’t even make a f***ing phone call without having a drink.’ ”

The 36-year-old artist – who was married to Avril Lavigne until they split in 2010 – was well aware of his problem, but the addiction was simply too strong to overcome. Following his stay under careful watch, he soon realized the problem needed to be addressed.

Deryck, who is now husband to Ariana Cooper, stated: “Before I went into the hospital, when I was still drinking every day, the clearest thought that I could have was that, ‘This is probably not good, and I’m going to have to deal with this eventually – just not right now.’

So I knew that it wasn’t great, I just thought I was going to fix it, like, tomorrow. When I woke up sober in the hospital, I knew instantly how bad it was and what had gotten me there and that I wasn’t going to drink anymore. I was so done with it. If anything, it almost felt like a bit of freedom: ‘Finally, something has stopped this whole cycle.'”